Let’s be as transparent as possible with this: you shouldn’t listen to the new Refused album, Freedom, expecting the band to pick up where The Shape of Punk to Come left off. That would have been a tall order after two or three years, but after seventeen? No way. They’re a different band now, and their sense of extremity—whether in sheer aggression or genre-blending experimentation—has dulled with age. Sure, they’ve still got a healthy amount of anger, but they’re tamer and more muted in presenting it to the world. Continue reading →